Re: What is a "database"?

[email@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (James W Kilgore)]

Booth,

Like many things, a "data base" is defined by the keeper of the keys.

IMHO, the keeper is Codd, the Godfather of data base design. Like
bellbottoms and platform shoes ... everything old becomes "new" again
;-}

A valid data base administrators function is a twofold purpose: 1)
enforce Codd's rules of data base design/integrity and 2) see rule 1.

I know this may seem harsh, but until they can -prove- a better scheme,
their job is to enforce the best plan going.  And to date Codd still has
the best plan.

There have been recurring threads on this list about the validity of
"normalization" and plenty of, how should I put it? Situational ethics?
On the subject.  By that I mean that normalization is recommended until
one is faced with a 4th degree of difficulty and they get lazy.

If data is just stuff accumulated, take a look in your garage or attic.
That's "stuff", not data. Now, go to a library and pull out a rack of a
card catalog and what you have is access to data.  Accessible,
organized, and retrievable.

IMO, a data base only has value in its use, not it's contents.

Just my 2 cents.
BTW,
Happy, and quiescent,  New Year
James W. Kilgore


boothm@earth.goddard.edu wrote:
> 
> It is becoming clear to me that I don't know what a database is.  I'd
> thought it was the base of data that an organization accumulates, but now
> I hear people speak of being a database administrator and there seems to
> be clumps of these people around non-AS/400 machines.  What is it they do?
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